BNF for Children
2008-12-12: The MHRA sent letters to healthcare professionals about Mabthera® (rituximab) in November 2008, to inform of new safety information and advice
2008-11-19: Due to internal promotions and the expansion of the editorial team, BNF publications are currently recruiting Clinical Pharmacists to work as staff editors for BNF and BNF for Children.
If you feel you would to take up this challenging but rewarding opportunity, further details and how to apply can be found at bnf.org/jobs.2008-11-11: The MHRA sent letters to healthcare professionals about Arcoxia® (etoricoxib) in October 2008, to inform of new safety information and advice.
2008-10-07: A NICE technology appraisal is available for Influenza prophylaxis
2008-09-11: BNF 56 (September 2008) is published
Information about changes made for this edition is available here.
2008-08-11: The NPSA has issued a rapid response report on new guidance for injecting adults and adolescent patients with intravenous cancer drug (NPSA/2008/RRR004).
2008-08-11: The Chief Medical Officer has issued a Health Service Circular (2008/001) which covers the updated National Guidance on the Safe Administration of Intrathecal Chemotherapy. The updated guidance replaces HSC 2003/010.
The guidance cross-refers to the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) rapid response report (NPSA/2008/RRR004) on the use of vinca alkaloid minibags that should be read in conjunction with this document.2008-08-07: The Department of Health is making extra vaccine and more funds available to help local health trusts start a campaign to vaccinate every child up to the age of 18 against measles. For further details visit Department of Health, News.
2008-07-14: The NPSA has issued a rapid response report on Reducing Dosing Errors with Opioid Medicines
2008-07-03: The fourth edition of BNF for Children (BNFC 2008) has been published
The fourth edition of the BNF for Children (BNFC) arms health professionals with the information they need to tackle recent controversial health concerns in young people, including rising rates of teenage pregnancy and the increasing incidence of sexually transmitted infections.
Professor Martin Kendall, Chairman of the Formulary Development Committee, said:
“This year, to protect young people from cervical cancer, updated advice on human papilloma virus vaccine which will be offered to all girls aged 12–13 years from September, has been included. Also, noting the national concerns about sexual activity in the young, BNFC 2008 has new sections on contraception and additional guidance on the treatment of sexually transmitted infections. The BNFC is the national guide on managing the diseases of today and protecting children and young people from the medical problems of tomorrow.
The BNFC has been extensively revised and updated, checked by national experts and improved by the comments of paediatricians, nurses, pharmacists and dentists who have been using it to help them treat children safely and effectively over the last four years.”
The new edition of the BNF for Children is published today by the BMJ Group, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and the Neonatal and Paediatric Pharmacists Group.
BNFC 2008 has been fully revised and improved. The changes include:
The BNFC is available in print, and on PDA. Further details about these and other changes can be found free of charge at http://bnfc.org/bnfc/bnfcextra/current/450035.htm
Dr Patricia Hamilton, President, of the RCPCH comments: "The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health is proud to be a partner in producing the BNF for Children which is an essential resource for paediatricians and other healthcare professionals.
It is important to highlight the new emphasis on adolescent health, with information in this edition on contraception, the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases and a vaccination which protects against cervical cancer. The BNFC will also contribute to patient safety by ensuring users have the most up-to-date information and guarding against medication errors."
2007-08-01: The growing importance of BNF for Children is highlighted in recent research conducted by Taylor Nelson Sofres on behalf of the publishers
The growing importance of BNF for Children is highlighted in recent research conducted by Taylor Nelson Sofres on behalf of the publishers. The attributes rated most highly by users are the BNFC's trustworthiness, authority, accessibility and independence, and the data implies that the BNFC is providing ‘reassurance’ to 97% of its recipients
BNFC is the first resource that 74% of healthcare professionals turn to when seeking information about the use of medicines in children.
BNFC is used at least once a day or more by 82% of hospital nurses, 46% of hospital doctors and 38% of hospital pharmacists.
Seventy percent of recipients have become more aware of suitable medicines and treatments as a result of using BNFC and 40% believe that BNFC has changed their clinical practice. For 53% of recipients, BNFC has reduced the number of times that they need to seek advice from other healthcare professionals.
In the view of almost half the recipients, BNFC has led to an improvement in the quality of prescribing for children under shared care arrangements between primary and secondary care.
This support for BNF for Children follows the backing given to the BNF by healthcare professionals in a recent survey which found that the BNF is used over 3 million times a week.
Dr Patricia Hamilton, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said, “The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health is a key partner in this project. This essential book, used every day by paediatricians and other healthcare professionals, contributes widely to patient safety. This new edition means that users have the best possible information at their fingertips for treating children and young people.”
2007-07-27: The third edition of BNF for Children (BNFC 2007) has been published
The third edition of BNF for Children (BNFC 2007) has been published. To review the changes made for this new edition please see What's new in BNF for Children 2007
2007-07-27: With this third edition of BNF for Children we are conducting a short survey to obtain comments from healthcare professionals about specific aspects of the publication.
BNF for Children has been constructed to meet the needs of healthcare professionals who look after children. Since the launch of the first edition of BNF for Children, numerous changes have been made to the layout and content of the publication as a result of feedback received from healthcare professionals. It is important to determine whether these changes continue to meet the needs of the users that BNF for Children aims to serve. We are also keen to identify areas where further improvements can be made. In this way the publication, in both paper and digital formats, can retain its relevance to clinical practice.
Whilst constructive comments on the content of BNF for Children are always welcome, with this third edition we are running a short questionnaire to obtain comments from healthcare professionals about specific aspects of the publication.
We would be grateful if you will spare a few minutes to complete this questionnaire about the digital version of BNF for Children available at bnfc.org. Readers wishing to comment on the printed version of BNF for Children should do so using the postal questionnaire inserted in the book.
Please click here to go to the questionnaire
Thank you for your help.
2007-07-11: The online edition of the BNF for Children now incorporates an interface to the NHS Dictionary of Medicines and Devices
The online edition of the latest BNF for Children (BNFC 2007), published earlier this month, now incorporates an interface to the NHS Dictionary of Medicines and Devices. This provides healthcare professionals with seamless access to BNFC content on the Internet using NHS dm+d codes, helping them to make the best treatment decisions for their patients.
The move is a fundamental step towards more efficient and safer prescribing practices and provides a means of directly accessing BNFC information from within the healthcare professional’s workflow.
The new interface can be accessed by appending an NHS dm+d code to a programmatically generated BNFC web address (URL). Once clinical systems have been configured to generate these URLs, the links between the NHS dm+d and BNFC will provide health professionals with a new means of accessing concise, authoritative and up-to-date prescribing information to support their clinical decisions.
The interface allows users direct access to BNFC information about a selected medicinal product from within a clinical system. As clinicians are working, prescribing or dispensing a medicine during a clinical encounter, it is now possible with a single click to access the relevant BNFC information for that medicine. Similarly, library or local formulary systems can use the interface to provide links from their material directly to corresponding BNFC content.
“Providing clinicians with the tools to make the best decisions for their patients is a key objective of the NHS Connecting for Health programme and closely parallels BNFC’s mission to provide excellence at the point of care,” says Dominic Vaughan, BNFC publishing director.
“With the ever-increasing pressure on clinicians, this development is an important step towards ensuring BNFC knowledge is accessible whenever and wherever it is required from within the clinician’s workflow.”
A more technical document providing details of the links created between the NHS dm+d and BNFC together with the format of the URLs for accessing the interface is available upon request (please contact us).
The NHS dm+d provides a common way of describing and coding all medicines and devices used within the NHS. It is expected to be used with all clinical information systems handling medicines information and is essential to support patient care across all sectors of the health service.
2007-07-09: Updated advice on the management of serious and potentially fatal disorders
Unless doctors, nurses, pharmacists and dentists consult the latest edition of the BNF for Children (BNFC 2007), there is a real risk that children may not be given the right prescriptions for the medicines they need.
The warning comes from Professor Martin Kendall, Chairman of the Formulary Development Committee, at the launch of the BNFC 2007 which was published at the beginning of July.
BNFC 2007 has been fully revised and improved. The changes include:
Dr Sheila Shribman, National Clinical Director for Children, Young People and Maternity Services added: “The safe treatment of children is at the heart of government policy on child health. The National Service Framework [NSF] for Children, Young People and Maternity Services stipulates that those looking after children need to be able to make decisions about medicines based on sound information. BNFC provides such information and, as such, is a key to the successful delivery of the NSF. I welcome this new edition.”
2006-07-20: The second edition of BNF for Children (BNFC 2006) has been published
The layout of this second edition of BNF for Children (BNFC) has undergone numerous changes to improve the speed and accuracy of information retrieval. A great many of these changes have resulted from comments by users of the first edition. Independent market research provided further valuable insight from key users in the community and in secondary-care facilities. In addition, numerous changes have been made to the content.
2005-09-20: The BNF for Children is officially launched today
A new guide which will transform doctors' access to advice on children's medicines is being launched today at the British Medical Association.
The handbook – BNF for Children (BNFC) – is the first comprehensive information resource for doctors, pharmacists, nurses and other healthcare professionals on medicines for children.
The guide covers newborn babies to 18-year olds and gives a range of guidance, from choosing the best available drug to specific doses and formulations—information doctors normally have to research from multiple sources.
Doctors and other prescribers currently use the British National Formulary (BNF) – the 'drugs bible' – as their medicines reference manual. The BNF provides general information on children's medicines but, as prescribing for children has become more complex, healthcare professionals need a source of more specialist information.
Dr George Rylance of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, who chaired the BNFC formulary committee, commented:
"When treating children dosages must be tailored for each child, calculated by weight and age. Until now the information doctors needed to do this was not easily or readily available when they needed it—during a consultation for instance.
"Most drugs for everyday children's ailments are licensed for paediatric use. But drugs developed for adults are not always tested for use in children. For complicated or more serious conditions doctors often need to use drugs tested in adults which have not been specifically licensed for children (off-label prescribing), or which are not routinely available (unlicensed prescribing).
"The new guide will bring all this information together in one reliable source. It's a great step forward for children's medicine. For the first time, all doctors will have the latest advice at their fingertips."
The BNFC will play a key part in a European initiative, led by the UK, to develop more treatments for children and expand research and information in the field.
Ian Costello, lead editor of BNFC said:
"Updated every year the BNFC will continue to develop, including innovative treatments and new evidence as they become available. This guide will set a new standard—wherever you live in the UK, your doctor will have the latest information on the best treatment for your child."
Health Minister Jane Kennedy said:
"The new BNF for Children is a very exciting development and an important tool in improving the quality of prescribing medicines for children. This is why we are investing £1.8million in this project and ensuring that 175,000 copies of the BNFC are provided free of charge for doctors and other prescribers of paediatric medicines in the NHS."
